Welcome to Conversations with Authors, where I – Alison Thompson, AKA The Proof Fairy – meet amazing authors and find out what inspired them to write and what advice they would offer other aspiring authors.
My guest today is J.T. Scott. Jenny, AKA The Dragon Lady, is the author of the “Sammy Rambles” series of books about a boy and his dragon. She has also written the popular illustrated series “Bumper and Friends”, following the adventures of garden creatures who help each other solve problems.
In our conversation Jenny talks about how, rather than fear of the blank page, she struggles with story overload. She also outlines how she has expanded her profile by creating a range of merchandise related to her book characters, and she encourages authors to think big!
More About J.T. Scott aka The Dragon Lady
J.T. Scott, Jenny, is the author of the “Sammy Rambles” series of books about a boy and his dragon. She has also written the popular illustrated series “Bumper and Friends” following the adventures of garden creatures who help each other solve problems.
Inspired by childhood visits to National Trust houses and English Heritage castles, Jenny’s imagination was captivated by these impressive buildings with their rich history. A love of reading and mythology spilled out into creating her own stories for Playmobile and Lego characters, writing the scenes down on scraps of paper so she would remember what happened when the toys had to be tidied away.
Growing older, Jenny’s stories became longer and more detailed, with complex characters and plots and gradually the idea of writing a whole book was planted in Jenny’s mind. If other authors could write stories and create books then why couldn’t she have a go?
This, and Jenny’s love for storytelling, form the backdrop for the Sammy Rambles books where Sammy and his friends attend the Dragamas School for Dragon Charming, set in the fictional Dragamas Castle, where they have to work together to solve problems and save the Dragon World from the enemy known only as the Shape.
From pen and paper to self-published, there are five books in the Sammy Rambles series. The books are available from Amazon and Jenny is also taking on speaking engagements to talk about her journey and how other people can do the same.
From writing the Sammy Rambles series, Jenny’s adventure has grown from selling her books to family and friends, to having a stall at a craft fair, then a stall at a literary festival, then speaking at a ‘Meet the Author’ library event, then speaking at literary festivals right through to giving Interactive Dragon Talks in schools to thousands of children (Nursery, Foundation, Primary and Secondary) in the UK and abroad.
Following on from the Dragon Talks is Dragonball Sport, the game Sammy and his friends play in the books, but has been adapted into an all-inclusive invasion game that can be played by children and adults of all ages and abilities, working together to score goals.
Jenny’s motivation is simple, having experienced several adversaries in life, she wants to ‘give something back’ and have a purpose, leaving a legacy of inspiring children in their imagination and their writing. The Sammy Rambles books are full of empowerment, finding inner strength, making lasting friendships and overcoming seemingly insurmountable problems.
Find out more at:
www.sammyrambles.com (for children and adults who like castles and dragons)
www.dragonball.uk.com (anti-bullying, inclusive game, anyone can play)
www.bumperandfriends.co.uk (illustrated series for children aged 0-5)
www.facebook.com/bumperandfriends
